Hellraiser - Inferno
|
List Price: Our Price: $2.09 You Save: $7.90 (79%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of Hellraiser - Inferno
Movie Review: Clive should be proud
Summary: 5 Stars
A lot of Hellraiser fans who are simply Pinhead-freaks may not like this movie, but what about Clive Barker fans? I believe this movie captured his dark, atmospheric feel that (usually) only he can create. The first two Hellraiser movies bleed Clive Barker throughout. The third is more 'Fright Night' entertainment than horror, but I still love it because I'm a fan of the director Anthony Hickox's style, like in the Waxwork movies. The fourth wasn't really scary but I liked the idea behind the old demon vs. new demon thing. Still, the third and fourth didn't have that Clive Barker feel. I feel this fifth movie did him a lot of justice. First of all, he's said himself that he never intended for Pinhead to get all the spotlight. The movies evolve around those who are unfortunate enough to open the box and how it affects those around them. So the fact that Pinhead's appearance in Inferno is brief shouldn't bother Clive's fans because, after all, he wasn't in the first two for very long either. This movie covers something none of the others bothered to dive into much: what does the box's victims REALLY go through. Sure, in the the second movie we see Frank's 'hell' of seeing all the beautiful women writhing around under the sheets but aren't really there. It's fitting for Frank but not near as terrifying as what our Nightbreed pal Craig Sheffer goes through in Inferno. Also, I remember in an interview about Lord of Illusions, Clive Barker had mentioned how he'd like to see more mystery and detective stories intertwined with horror. That was his given reason for doing Lord of Illusions. In that sense, Inferno does him a lot of justice. Here, we follow Sheffer's character through a mindboggling hunt for the 'Engineer' who is killing all the people close to him and leaving a child's finger as a calling card. He must find the 'Engineer' to both stop him and save the child who's fingers are being severed. The viewer doesn't know what's going on until the detective does, which leads to a totally surrealistic but thought-provoking ending. Beware, if you want a senseless slasher pic that's only fit to laugh at, you'll be disappointed. However, if you want a deep, horrifying look at one crooked victim's trip through Clive Barker's infamous puzzle box, this is a must, and don't worry, there's plenty of gore in here to keep the bloodlust at bay.Movie Review: It's a Wonderful Death.
Summary: 5 Stars
Jaw-droppingly good in comparison to every film to come since the original HELLRAISER, it was with great trepidation that I dropped this one into the DVD player. Just having suffered through Part 4: BLOODLINE a few weeks back, my expectations for INFERNO were about as low as they could be.An inspired, twisted take on films like IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, HELLRAISER: INFERNO brings quality back to the franchise. It also brings decent acting, impressive direction, great effects, and, believe it or not, genuine chills and scares. Consistently maintaining the sense of dread created in films like JACOB'S LADDER or LOST HIGHWAY, INFERNO abandons previous sequels' use of Pinhead as little more than a soundbite-spouting slasher and focuses on the sins of man, in particular a dirty detective impressively played by Craig Sheffer. Fear not, fans - there are cenobites a'plenty, and they're far scarier than any of the sad, sad jokes found in Parts 3 or 4. Director Scott Derrickson wisely follows the "less is more" school of scares and the nightmarish glimpses of hell as it seeps into our world are far more frightening than anything dished up since Clive Barker was at the reins.
A straight-to-video film with a $2 million budget, INFERNO looks and plays better than any other big horror franchise sequel in years. Newcomers to the series may be the most delighted as it doesn't require a deep understanding of the mythology of the Cenobites or Lament Configuration to enjoy this film - nor does it lean on Pinhead popping up, shouting "I am emptiness," and creating new Cenobites in place of plot.
All in all, a great, great movie. Refreshing not only for longtime fans of the series but also for anyone looking for a stylish, effective, thoroughly well-made chiller.
Movie Review: A Psychological Hell
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a fan of the Hellraiser series, a movie series popular enough to spawn several sequels. I loved Hellraiser for the concept of pain and desire. I watched this film with no doubts. It was very enjoyable. Thorne, the main character seems to be the "bad" guy. It is in a noir style also. Thorne has a very dirty background, for doing many criminal activities such as drug snorting and cheating on his wife by spending nights with prostitues.
At the scene of his previous case. A familiar face turns up at the scene, barely recognizable, a acquaintance he has tortured plenty in school. Thorne is quickly interested at the several items found, a child's finger inside a candle and atop that, a puzzle box.
Eventually Thorne is overrun by his curiousity and steals the box and solves it. Then he finds himself in another world, leaving the room and encountered by cenobites and others. He runs into Pinhead and kills him, Thorne will think he is still alive, but he is not, he is in his own personal psychological Hell. From then on, he will experience the losses of people close to him, his snitch Nenonen and his family quickly get destroyed, and eventually he find out that he is trapped in that psycho Hell of his for the rest of eternity. He will have to experience the last few days of his life over and over.
A great storyline for a Hellraiser and recommended for not the fans of Pinhead, but the Hellraiser concept itself, it dosen't focus on the flesh and desire of people, it focuses on other stuff. A concept much dreadful and unholy then the mutilation of people. 5 out of 5 for a great Hellraiser.
~Kevin
Movie Review: Redirecting Hell
Summary: 5 Stars
While the casual observer of this movie might be intrigued by its cop-versus-monster mystery plot, the typical Hellraiser fan might not be as easily entertained. The plot is somewhat thin, bordering on a "This-Is-Your-Life" plot mixed with the stereotype police mystery/suspense. The characters are difficult to identify with, and mostly predictable. The Cenobite involvement is minimal, hardly qualifying this as a true Hellraiser movie (not to mention the shameful neglect to involve Clive Barker in this piece). It does, though, have its endearing qualities, which will more pertain to the discriminating Hellraiser fan. The first is that Pinhead's character seems to return to its original standing as a demon just trying to do his job. His bad-guy image is left behind in #3-4. Also, he does offer a unique and intuitive view of Hell for the viewer to ponder, making a classic speech at the end. The second positive quality of this film is that the Cenobites (when featured) appear to be more traditional, as described in Barker's "Hellbound Heart", the novella that started it all. They are devoid of personality, bent on tantalizing the flesh in the most extreme manner possible (ie, the scene when the detective is "massaged" by the twins). And, as avid followers of the series will note, the Cenobites were hardly involved in the first film.
This return to the traditional, and original, ideals of "Hellbound Heart" and "Hellraiser" make this film one of the most enjoyable in the series. Barker's lack of involvement is almost an oxymoron, since this film is the first sequel to reach the philosophical and metaphysical thoughts of the original. Wonderfully done.
Movie Review: Return to Form
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm amazed at how underrated this installment in the Hellraiser series is. The first two Hellraiser films, where Pinhead and the Cenobites were more or less mediators while the human characters were the real monsters, were two of the best horror films to come out of the 80s. The two films that followed them, however, were absolutely terrible monster movies where Pinhead was no different from Freddy Kruger or Jason Vorhees.
In this film and the next, however, Pinhead returns to his true role as hellish referee and the Lament Configuration (a.k.a. "the box") ones again returns to its rightful place as a mysterious object that opens doors to dark worlds of pain and forbidden pleasure.
The story is relatively simple. A corrupt cop finds the puzzle box at a crime scene, solves it, and then his life starts spiraling out of control. The movie is slower moving than the previous three, but the atmosphere becomes increasingly disturbing and creepy. As his life spirals out of control, the movie climaxes with the obligatory confrontation with Pinhead filled with classic Hellraiser chain-and-meat-hook goodness. What makes it great though, are the underlying themes, and the return of good old fashioned suspense and dread to the series.
I'd recommend fans of the first two films that didn't care for 3 and 4 to give this one (and Hellseeker) a chance. I turned my nose up towards these for years, but I'm glad someone finally talked me into watching them.